Dave Matthews Band, 6/19/2008, SPAC

DMB brings grace and gravity
Band’s yearly summer shows at SPAC have become must-sees for devotees

By DAVID MALACHOWSKI
Special to the Times Union

SARATOGA SPRINGS … The annual summer SPAC shows by the Dave Matthews Band have certainly become a ritual … a yearly destination for the devoted. This year is no different, though there have been a few minor changes.

What is consistent is the mesmerizing, transcendent show that DMB throws out so effortlessly.
In the years since its debut album, the band’s calling card is a powerful, high-quality show
with few surprises.

At this point it’s as if the goal just seems to be to play each song better, deeper and more intensely than the last time, constantly striving to take it to a higher level.
What’s different is that longtime auxiliary member and keyboardist Butch Taylor has recently
departed, shifting the onstage dynamic slightly and giving the songs a bit more breathing room.

A barrage of eye candy was juxtaposed with the laid-back, guy-next-door Dave persona as they dove head-first into “Bartender” with surprising intensity, you could tell this was gonna be a better-than-usual night.

Trumpeter Rashawn Ross and guitarist Tim Reynolds joined the fray with Carter Beauford (drums), Stefan Lessard (bass), LeRoi Moore (sax) and Boyd Tinsley (violin). With his casual,
unassuming charm, Matthews is an unlikely frontman for arenas and sheds … and part of the
reason the legions of fans adore him.

An uplifting “Everyday,” pounding “Proudest Monkey,” and wiry “Corn Bread” (with a
stinging slide solo) roared, while oldie “Satellite” surprisingly sounded fresh and new. The
deep groove of “You Might Die Trying” fell into “Out of My Hands” with Matthews on piano.
An ebullient “Crash Into Me” was a highlight, as was an over-the-top “Two Step,” with
Matthews wailing with abandon.

As is the nature of live shows, some days are better than others, for reasons within and
beyond the stage. This was was one of the best area DMB shows ever, filled with grace and
gravity, simply magical.

And they plan to do it again Saturday.

“We’re nice people, we’re from Vermont,” bragged Grace Potter, as she and her band, the
Nocturnals, opened the show to a small audience (apparently the beer garden and food court
were far more popular). Potter’s soaring, powerful pipes, proficient organ playing and
occasional guitar were more than impressive, and it was a crime there weren’t more folks
coming in to take their seats to see her.

The driving, frantic “Stop the Bus” and the dreamy “Mastermind” were highlights of a too-
short set.

David Malachowski is a local freelance writer from Woodstock and a regular contributor to the
Times Union.

Concert review
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
with Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: SPAC, Avenue of the
Pines, Saratoga Springs
Length: DMB: 2 hours 45
minutes; Potter: 45 minutes
The crowd: Tickets sell out, and though DMB has been coming around for about 15
years, it still feels like the first time
Highlights: DMB’s “Bartender” “Crash into Me,” “Two Step,” Potter’s “Mastermind,” “Stop the Bus”
Continuing: Matthews and crew play again at 7 p.m. Saturday